Met Police officers warned for photographing dead body and evidence on personal phones
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 3
Met Police officers warned for photographing dead body and evidence on personal phones
5 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 3
PC Billy Manning received a two-year final written warning and PC Frankie Jordan three years after a hearing over images from a Dalston assisted residence and other evidence.
The panel heard officers routinely used personal phones and WhatsApp because police-issued devices produced poor-quality images; Manning later showed the dead man's photo to colleagues at Shoreditch station.
No criminal charges were brought. The Met apologised, while the hearing also found confused internal guidance on personal-phone use and heard Manning created a WhatsApp group containing discriminatory content.
When police use WhatsApp for evidence, how can the justice system guarantee integrity and protect victim privacy?
Are officers using personal phones a sign of individual misconduct or a systemic failure of police technology and policy?
Is the Met's AI surveillance a cure for misconduct or a dangerous violation of officers' own rights?